Distant Worlds II
Distant Worlds II (DW2), also known as Distant Worlds 3305, is the sequel to the Distant Worlds Expedition, which was the first major community expedition in Elite Dangerous history. Distant Worlds II was announced on October 10, 3303,Distant Worlds II - Fleet Roster Sign Up Thread and launched from the Pallaeni system on January 13, 3305.Distant Worlds 2 - A Journey of Discovery Background Announcement and Early Planning On October 10, 3303, CMDR Erimus made an early announcement for the sequel to the Distant Worlds Expedition. Coming in the wake of the reveal of Elite Dangerous: Beyond at Frontier Expo 2017, it was determined that Distant Worlds II would launch in Q4 3304/Q1 3305, after the release of Beyond's exploration-focused Chapter 4 update.Frontier Forums: Distant Worlds II - Early Announcement The stated goals of the expedition are: * We want to create an event that challenges its participants, like DWE 3302 did. * We want to create interesting basecamp meetups and events, that include all what the first expedition had, and more - specifically utilising whatever new discovery mechanics the new content requires. * We would like to reach the same scale as last time or beat it, and then take advantage of our large contingent in the hopes the expedition might discover some of the new and mysterious things FD have hinted at! * We have plans to bring back the Distant Worlds weekly newsletter that proved so popular last time around, and eventually have it again bound into a book as a memento. * Naturally DWE2 plan to work in conjunction with the Galactic Mapping Project to discover, catalogue, and name new POIs, spatial anomalies, and geological features. * The expedition will encourage and facilitate all the emergent gameplay that explorers are renowned for into joining and helping organise and oversee certain aspects of this mammoth endeavour; Fuel Rats, Rock Rats, MediCorp, The Repair & Tour Group, The Galactic Travel Agency, Surveyors, Galactic Mappers, Scouts, and even squadrons that will hopefully be able to utilise the new fleet carriers. * We will put together an experienced organisation team to help create a memorable event. Expedition Proposal On January 14, 3304, on the second anniversary of the launch of the Distant Worlds Expedition, the expedition outline was posted by Erimus. The proposal included a Community Goal idea that would be run in conjunction with the main expedition, which if implemented, would incorporate prospecting and mining into the expedition. Early plans also suggested Community Goals to construct a Starport in Sagittarius A* and a Surface Port in Beagle Point; while the former goal was mostly preserved for Waypoint 7 of the finalized proposal, the latter goal was cancelled. Registration The expedition began accepting signups on February 1, 3304 (click here to register). A number of milestones in participation were achieved before the main roster closed: *2,000 registrants - February 22, 3304Frontier Forums: [DW2 Distant Worlds II - Fleet Roster Sign Up Thread, Post #791] *3,000 registrants - August 6, 3304Frontier Forums: Distant Worlds II - Fleet Roster Sign Up Thread, Post #1147 *4,000 registrants - December 11, 3304Frontier Forums: Distant Worlds II - Fleet Roster Sign Up Thread, Post #1726 *5,000 registrants - December 31, 3304Frontier Forums: Distant Worlds II - Fleet Roster Sign Up Thread, Post #1864 *6,000 registrants - January 4, 3305 *7,000 registrants - January 6, 3305 *8,000 registrants - January 8, 3305 *9,000 registrants - January 10, 3305 *10,000 registrants - January 12, 3305Frontier Forums: Distant Worlds II - Fleet Roster Sign Up Thread, Post #2168 *11,000 registrants - January 13, 3305 *12,000 registrants - January 15, 3305 Registrations for DW2 closed at 18:00 UTC on January 18, 3305, at which point the main roster was locked and existing registrants could longer make or request any further changes to their registrations. A secondary "latecomers" roster opened until February 17, 3305, but it was not administrated or publicly displayed. The secondary roster will later be merged with the main roster to create a finalized roster that will be archived and presented. Preliminary Route The preliminary expedition route outlined on February 1, 3304 proposed that Distant Worlds II would travel through both Sagittarius A* and Beagle Point on the "Outbound" stage, while "The Voyage Home" stage would trace the journey of the USS Voyager. The journey would cover over 200,000 ly and was estimated to take 304 days to complete. Waypoint Scouting Event On April 1st, 3304, CMDR Erimus posted a call for explorers currently on a deep space excursion to submit POIs or areas of interest that may be suitable to be used as Distant Worlds 2 waypoints and basecamps. Out of all submissions, 15-20 will be incorporated into Distant Worlds.Kamzel, E (3304, April, 01). Distant Worlds II - Waypoint Scouting Event. Forum Post. Message posted to https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/419924 Fleet Logistics: Call for Volunteers On April 16th, 3304, CMDR Olivia Vespera posted a call for volunteers in the bubble to help fleet logistics gather 10 of each available rare commodity in the game across all 3 gaming platforms. Members who answer the call are were asked to join the Fleet Logistics Discord and were given the role, Gatherer. The gathered rares would be stored in "warehouse" ships until they can be preloaded onto truckers.Vespera, O. (3304, April, 16). Distant Worlds 2 Fleet Logistics: Looking for Volunteers! Forum Post Message Posted to https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/422797 Finalized Expedition Plan In early December 3304, Distant Worlds II organizers announced their finalized expedition plan. The expedition was scheduled to depart from Waypoint 1 in the Core Systems on January 13, 3305 on the 18-week "Outbound" half of the journey to Beagle Point, which consisted of four stages:Frontier Forums: Distant Worlds 2 - A Journey of Discovery: EXPEDITION ROUTE, WAYPOINTS, MAPS, AND SCHEDULE #Waypoints 1-5: Laying the foundations for Galactic Core scientific studies, revisiting mysteries of the past, and trailblazing the new age of discovery. #Waypoints 6-9: Building the Galactic Core Starport and discovering secrets at the heart of the galaxy. #Waypoints 10-12: Mapping the Aphelion. #Waypoints 13-15: A journey across the Abyss... and beyond. In addition to various community events and exploration opportunities along the full route, a Community Goal took place at the Waypoint 2 system, Omega Sector VE-Q b5-15, and involved mining materials for the construction of a new Starport in Stuemeae FG-Y d7561, a system near Sagittarius A*. Once the expedition reaches Waypoint 7, which will be located in a third system near both Sagittarius A* and Stuemeae FG-Y d7561,Frontier Forums: Anyone got an Alt to scan the new station in Stuemeae FG-Y d7561 ?, post #13 the Starport will be constructed and host a second Community Goal to upgrade its amenities for members of the expedition and future travelers. The expedition will remain in the Galactic Centre region for two to three weeks before continuing onward to Waypoint 15 at Beagle Point.Frontier Forums: [DW2 Community Goals] The "Voyage Home" half of the expedition will begin sometime after the Distant Worlds II expedition reaches Beagle Point, and involve the return journey to the Core Systems via an indirect route. More details will be announced at a later date. GalNet Report GalNet featured a report on Distant Worlds II on January 4, 3305: Preparations are underway for the second Distant Worlds expedition, which will see a community of explorers cross the galaxy. Science correspondent Leon Banerjee provided an overview for the Vox Galactica media outlet: “The first Distant Worlds mission, in 3302, was the largest fleet expedition in history, and saw over a thousand ships travel to Beagle Point and back.” “Distant Worlds II has even loftier ambitions, involving an impressive voyage through the heart of the galaxy, mapping unexplored regions and making new scientific discoveries. It will also involve the construction of a starport dedicated to the study of Sagittarius A*.” “Project leaders Erimus Kamzel and Dr Kaii report that nearly four thousand courageous Commanders will take part, despite the risks involved, in a journey of over 200,000 light years.” Distant Worlds II is scheduled to launch in January 3305, with the complete round trip lasting approximately three hundred days.|GalNetGalNet: Countdown to Second Distant Worlds Expedition}} The Expedition Launch The Distant Worlds II expedition officially departed from the Distant Worlds Tourist Beacon in the Pallaeni system on January 13, 3305. Due to the number of participants, there were three separate launch events; participants could attend the launch event which was most convenient for them.Frontier Forums: Distant Worlds II - Fleet Roster Sign Up Thread, post #1978 *January 13, 3305 at 20:00 UTC (Europe) *January 14, 3305 at 01:00 UTC (USA) *January 14, 3305 at 10:00 UTC (Australia) One hour before launch, participants were also encouraged to meet up at the original Distant Worlds launch site outside the settlement Brooks Point on Pallaeni A 1, and then move to the Distant Worlds Tourist Beacon 30 minutes before launch. Within moments of the first launch event, the high number of players simultaneously jumping from Pallaeni is believed to have been the cause of a brief but widespread server outage.r/EliteDangerous: DW2 Crash Megathread Stage 1 (WP 1-5) Shortly before launch, Waypoint 2's location was revealed to be on planet 7 B in the Omega Sector VE-Q b5-15 system and expedition members were directed to arrive there by January 18. DW2 organizers also provided a list of optional points of interest to visit along the way to Waypoint 2: *Shapley 1 (best viewed from Fine Ring Sector JH-V c2-4) *HR 6164 (The View Tourist Beacon) *Blu Thua GI-B b55-2 (ringed ELW "Cycladia") *Traikaae CH-Y c10 ("Labirinto" on planet 1 A) *Thor's Eye *Herschel 36 (good view of the Lagoon Nebula) *Traikaae KT-P d6-10 (Cinnabar Moth Nebula) *PW2010 210 (The PW2010 Supercluster) The first mining Community Goal of the expedition began on January 17, 3305, at the Omega Mining Operation Asteroid Base in Omega Sector VE-Q b5-15, which was upgraded with a Shipyard due to the occasion. The Community Goal was accompanied by the following GalNet reports: The Omega Mining Corporation has requested deliveries of raw materials for a new Orbis starport, to be built in the heart of the galaxy. The construction of the starport constitutes part of the ambitious Distant Worlds II expedition. Project leader Erimus Kamzel told the media: “The Distant Worlds fleet is privileged to be at the forefront of this ambitious industrial and scientific initiative – humanity’s first starport in the Galactic Centre region.” Independent miners are invited to deliver shipments of Indite, Gallite, Praseodymium and Cobalt to Omega Mining Operation in the Omega Sector VE-Q b5-15 system. In order to protect traders, the Omega Mining Corporation has also placed kill orders on all ships on its wanted list. The initiative begins on the 17th of January 3305 and will run for one week. If the final target is met earlier than planned, the campaign will end immediately.|GalNetGalNet: Distant Worlds Initiative}} A request for mined materials from the Omega Mining Corporation has concluded. Independent pilots delivered large quantities of Indite, Gallite, Praseodymium and Cobalt which will be used to build an Orbis starport in the Stuemeae FG-Y d7561 system. The starport will serve as a centre for scientific research, gathering data on the supermassive black hole at the galaxy’s centre. Erimus Kamzel, the Distant Worlds project leader, commented: “It is with great pride that we announce the successful conclusion to this resource-extraction initiative. The fleet will now continue its journey, and is scheduled to reach the galactic core in several weeks’ time.” Contributors to the campaign can now collect their rewards from Omega Mining Operation in the Omega Sector VE-Q b5-15 system.|GalNetGalNet: Success for Distant Worlds Initiative}} All told, 5,198 pilots participated in the Community Goal, and 3,000,000 tonnes of material were collected for the construction of the new Starport at Stuemeae FG-Y d7561. From January 27 to February 1, the expedition traveled to Waypoint 3, the abandoned Conflux Delta Site settlement on planet A 3 A in Pru Aescs NC-M d7-192. The optional waypoints along the route were: *Pyramoe PM-X b33-6 ("The Arkgamanon Mountain Range" on planet A 2 A) *CD-23 14350 (NGC 6629 Nebula) *Eagle Sector IR-W d1-117 (Eagle's Landing on planet 2 A and the Eagle Nebula) *Rohini (Eudaemon Anchorage) *Flyiedgiae QN-T d3-17 ("Quantum World" at planet AB 1 B) From February 3 to February 8, the expedition traveled to Waypoint 3, a site in Clooku EW-Y c3-197, just outside the "Llyn Tegid Nebula". The optional waypoints along the route were: *Skaude AL-X e1-28 ("Rusty Net Nebula") *Skaude AA-A h294 ("Collection of Wonders") *Skaudai AM-B d14-138 (Skaudai Guardian Ruins) *Skaudai CH-B d14-34 (Sacaqawea Space Port on planet 1 A) *Eodgorph PI-T e3-21 ("Spear Thistle Nebula") *Prua Phoe TK-M d8-361 ("Octopus Nebula") Expedition Waypoints The expedition gathered at the Distant Worlds Tourist Beacon orbiting the main star of the Pallaeni system before departing for Waypoint 2. Instead of announcing all waypoint locations simultaneously prior to the start of the expedition, Distant Worlds II organizers will only reveal each waypoint one at a time to encourage expedition members to stay together, focus on the expedition's Community Goals and other events, and thoroughly explore the areas surrounding the waypoints for interesting discoveries. Fleet Roles Private Groups Like Distant Worlds, Distant Worlds 2 hosted several Private Groups for fleet members to fly safe and to host official meetups. Flying in the Private Group is not a requirement to be on the expedition. Squadrons Distant Worlds 2 utilizes the Squadrons feature added by Elite Dangerous: Beyond Chapter Four (3.3). As Squadrons have a maximum capacity of 500 members, multiple Squadrons were created for the expedition. Joining an official DW2 Squadron is not mandatory, but applicants are required to first register on the official DW2 roster, and anyone found not to have registered is subject to immediate removal. Expedition Squadrons began accepting member applications on January 1, 3305. Multicrew For the duration of Distant Worlds II, a Multicrew option called "Distant Worlds Expedition" is available. Players who are not actively participating in DW2 can experience the expedition remotely by selecting this option and temporarily joining the ship of a DW2 participant.r/EliteDangerous: PSA: There is now an option to join Distant World Expedition multicrew Videos File:Distant Worlds 2 A Journey of Discovery File:Distant Worlds 2 Launch Livestream Gallery DistantWorlds2SplashPage.jpg|DW2 announcement teaser Distant World II 3305.gif|Animated DW2 emblem Distant Worlds II 3305 alt.png|DW2 emblem variant DW2 Missionboard.png|DW2 registration "mission board" BZH7Yae.png|The original, outdated DW2 3304 emblem PlaceholderDW2White.png|3304 variant 1 PlaceholderDW2Blue.png|3304 variant 2 PlaceholderDW2Black.png|3304 variant 3 Elite - Dangerous (CLIENT) 1_14_2019 12_02_43 PM.png|Playing in an ice canyon Elite - Dangerous (CLIENT) 1_19_2019 8_00_58 PM.png|A blue star References External Links *Distant Worlds II Information Index *Distant Worlds II: A Journey of Discovery *Distant Worlds II Early Announcement *Distant Worlds II Fleet Roster Sign-Up Thread *Distant Worlds II Official Fleet Roster